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One of the most passionately held beliefs among atheists and agnostics is that they can be morally good without belief in God. The underlying assumption is that God is not relevant to morality. But is this true? Can one be good without acknowledging God's existence?

The good atheist

The Catholic Church teaches that unbelievers can live a life of relative virtue without believing in God—that is to say, they can know the behaviors that respect the goods of...

Is science the only legitimate form of rational inquiry? The evolutionary biologist and popular atheist Richard Dawkins thinks so.

In a 2012 debate with Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dawkins claims that religion, as opposed to science, is “a betrayal of the intellect.” He asserts that appealing to God to explain the universe is “a phony substitute for an explanation” and “peddles false explanations where real explanations could have been offered.”...

The Church Comes Home is a book about the ultimate in atomistic Christianity: starting your own church in your own home. The authors are Robert and Julia Banks. I found an advertising blurb used to promote the book to be unintentionally instructive:

“Home churches are as old as the New Testament, and now the Bankses help you carry on the tradition in your community of faith! Discover how to start a home church of your own, determine doctrine, form a network with...

Imagine the looks you'd get if your name was Harry Connick, Jr. People would think you're the famous singer, actor, and American Idol judge, right? On this week's Catholic Answers Focus podcast, I spoke with a man by that name who also happens to be the iconic jazz composer and multi-Grammy- and Emmy-Award winner.

Harry is also a down-to-earth husband, dad, and practicing Catholic—"practicing until I get it right," in his words....

Have you ever tried to persuade someone that your belief was true, and that person responded, “Well, there is no truth,” or “It might be true for you, but not for me”? What was your response? I'll bet it was frustrating.

This way of thinking, called relativism, is an impediment to any sort of rational dialogue. How can one argue for the truth of a belief if truth is not real? It’s impossible.

So, in order to engage in any discussion about truth, the obstacle of relativism must...